Court restrains FCT Minister, stakeholders from Abuja Centenary City

About Abuja Centenary City: Former President, Goodluck Jonathan performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the $18.5billion project in June 2014.

Centenary City is a planned city in the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria. Centenary City is a master-planned development overseen by Centenary City FZE, as part of Nigeria's vision to create the city of the future smart city along the same lines as Dubai, Monaco and Singapore.

What is going on now: The court gave a temporary injunction in a suit filed by Centenary Economic City Free Zone and Centenary City Free Zone Company.

The defendants are the President, Attorney General (AGF), Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Others include the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA), and Arab Contractors.

What the court said: Justice I. E. Ekwo barred them “from committing further acts of encroachment, incursion and continuing to deface and destroy the master plan of Centenary Economic City Free Zone”.

Ekwo told them to stop all activity on 1,262.27 hectares at Wawa District, Cadastral Zone E24, designated as Centenary Free Zone by the President in September 2014 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The judge granted an Order of Maintenance of Status Quo Ante Bellum on all parties in the suit to halt taking step(s) in relation to the subject matter.

What you should know: In November 2016, the AGF’s office advised the FCDA that upon the grant of Free Trade Zone Status to the Centenary City, the President, pursuant to section 1 of the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority Act, No 63 of 1992, approved the project.